Born May 19, 1989 on the WestSide of Spartanburg S,C Antonio (Tone) Byrd picked up the pen and pad at the young age of 11. Over the years of living in a broken home and suffering the trials and tribulations of running streets he developed a unique way of story telling through music. Using the pain of the past and the knowledge gained over the years, he uses music as a way of flipping negative energy into something positive, something inspirational. Truly this is not your average artist. Music is his form of therapy, and at the end of each recording session he leaves behind a Masterpiece!
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Yung Tone: “I grew up on the West Side of Spartanburg S,C not really the “Go To” city for opportunities. I had a ruff childhood, I didn’t have a father figure or many firends while coming up so when I was 11 I started writing music to express myself. It really just started as a type of therapy for me i never planned on making a career out of it, but overtime it slowly went from a hobby and turned into an obsession.”
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Yung Tone: “It’s nothing special really, my full name is Courtney Antonio Byrd, my friends started calling me Antonio then shortened it to “Tone” I just threw the “Yung” in front of it but I think in time I’ll prefer to just be called “Tone”
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Yung Tone: “I think online music sharing is a great way to create a buzz for a indie artist, or any artist for that matter. But there are a lot of do’s and don’ts that a lot of ppl don’t follow that can ultimately hurt you more than it helps, for example; never spam your music trying to get attention because you’ll end up just getting ignored. And yes I have gave plenty of my music away for free simply because I love what I do, the money is just a bonus the real treasure to me is making enjoyable relatable music that people genuinely enjoy.”
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Yung Tone: “Definitely, the first step of course is creating a catchy tune, then put everything you can into promoting it even go to a professional outside source if it’s possible. create tons of visuals for your music, videos, flyers etc. Then watch the magic happen, it’s a lot of hard work but hard work always pays off”
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Yung Tone: “That’s a easy one, Life is my biggest inspiration. I use everyday situations and scenarios in my music writing process. I work with a lot of talented producers and they’re very good at creating the perfect melody I’m looking for when it comes to setting the tone for a certain song I’m workingon.”
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Yung Tone: “My official artist website is currently under development, for the time being I use Reverbnation.com (http://www.Reverbnation.com/YungTone42) to house my latest work so my fans can always visit that page to hear any updated music. I also share my music on Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/ Yungtone42) and twitter as well (http://www.twitter.com/ MyBoyTone) I also have a full album called “Armageddon” available on iTunes, Google Play, amazon music, Spotify and more platforms, just google “Yung Tone Armageddon” and there you go”
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Yung Tone: “I love that question, if I had half a million dollars and a year off, I would use that time and money to invest in my craft. I would even create a small business as a side project. I would invest in my mind cause knowledge is powerful. Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man how to fish he eats for the rest of his life. So if I was given half a million I would do everything I can to make another half a million and so on and so forth.”
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Yung Tone: “Crazy enough, I can simply throw my music anywhere on the net and people find me willing to help me promote it. Now I’m not saying that will work for any artist (in fact I’d don’t even recommend it) that’s just something that seems to have worked for me over the years, call it luck or whatever, but I always tend to come across people who are genuinely interested in helping my music get out there. Maybe I have a undeniable talent that’s easy to hear, or maybe I’m just doing what I’m destined to do and God is sending people in my life to confirm my suspicions (lol)”
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Yung Tone: ” Yes I have some very exciting things in the works for 2016, I have my 2nd Album entitled “Nothing To Lose” dropping this year as well as videos performances and many more projects. I don’t have a release date yet cause I’m still working with other artist, producers, promoters and labels to get everything perfect. But I will be dropping music left and right before I even release the album to let my fans know I only elevate in the music game.”
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Yung Tone: ” I have to be honest with you, if I wasn’t making music there is a great chance that I would be dead or sitting in jail. And I don’t say that just to say it I really mean that. See, music is literally the only thing that made me realize I was on a destructive path when I was younger, it was the main outlet I used to cleans myself of anger and any other destructive emotion I was feeling. Without it I’m sure I’d just be another lost soul in the world trying to figure out what his purpose was. It’s a scary thought but true nonetheless.”
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Yung Tone: “It’s definitely a task but I somehow manage. I work 5 days a week sometimes 11-12hrs a day, and still manage to find time to write music. But even back when I was running the streets and in and out of jail I was doing the something, no matter where I was or what I was doing music was always in the back of my mind. So I guess in all reality my passion is what drives me to handle my daily responsibilities and still handle my music with love and care.”
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Yung Tone: “Well as I stated before I have a album entitled “Nothing To Lose” dropping this year along with tons of other music beforehand. You can look forward to me being on the radio more as well as videos and shows. I’m currently talking to labels so I may even end this year with a record deal, as long as it’s on terms I can agree with, I won’t get much into that but I plan on this being my most eventful year yet!”